Forklifts

[Tim M]

Im in the market for a cheap forklift for general boatyard use - mainly lifting things like engines and shunting trailers around. I don't know anything about them (never driven one!). Had a look on eBay and theres quite a few older ones around the £1500 mark which is about as much as I'd want to pay.

Anything I should lookout for / steer clear of?

[beamishken]

I'm no expert but have tinkered with a few obviously at the price your looking at a bit of a survivor so just need to be careful of condition oil leaks etc
I'd be cautious of battery ones the batteries have a limited life and are horrendously expensive the electronics are a nightmare too
If it were me I'd be looking for a diesel or gas/petrol one rather than electric but then I'm a mechanic not a sparkie
Copart who do a lot of motor salvage often have cheapie forklifts with nothing wrong with them it may be worth a look at their (uk) Web site

[Ron Noco]

Hi,

Electric ones are lovely and quite but a new battery bank can cost your budget alone, old batteries are ok if you don't plan to do much with it, we have a 3 wheel type one at work and the manoeuvrability is amazing, like most machines bought to work, a regular service history is probably the most important thing, extras like side shift and telescopic height are nice but on an older machine are just more to go wrong

Good luck in the search
Cheers
Noel



Mobile

[Daniel]

Just quoted to replace batteries on a 10 yr old truck worth perhaps £3k when working... £1200 !!!

For yard use, you want pneumatic tyres. Hard solid tyres best for indoor use only (or nice concrete yards).

Forklifts are heavy! You'll kill most trailers trying to move one !

[Tim M]

Thanks for the points above. It'll be used on rough ground so good point about the tyres. Likewise about the weight - I need to be able to get it back here on a flatbed trailer!

[whisper]

An old tractor with a forklift off the back? Can be used for many other things then. But it depends, if you're in a marina then probably go for a Forklift

[Dan F]

If you are stacking pallets then a forklift is much better (especially if it has a side-shift) but a tractor with a front-end loader might work out well for you.

[camelgas]

+1 for tractor with loader.

[Chris]

If you can find one a small telehandler is ideal

[psycho]

Originally Posted by Chris

If you can find one a small telehandler is ideal

+ 1 for the telehandler...!

And then you are not limited. The attachments for the front can be then changed over in minutes to suit different jobs.

Forks, bucket / scoop, man cage, etc etc...

And best of all, a tow hitch, and it also means, if used for launching, you do not need to get the telehandler wet, as you just extend the boom, pushing the trailer into the water. The boat yard that I used to work in, used this as one method.

[beamishken]

For 1500 quid you'll struggle to find a tractor with a loader and forks to lift much more that 250kg but a good option if you csn find one .you definitely ain't going to get a telehandler for anywhere near that money
Plenty of older fork trucks about but transport can be an issue & sounds like you need rough terrain which limits the options slightly
Last time I wanted one moved I got a local skip hire firm to move it as they fit on the back easy and most skip handlers can lift 8 tonnes

[camelgas]

Rear mounted forklift on the 3 point links will pick up a 1 ton. Agree that £1500 is not enough for anything in reasonable condition these days.